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Simple DIY Pillow Covers in 7 steps

New pillow covers are an easy way to give your home some color and pizzazz. If you have basic sewing skills, pillow covers are quick and so much less expensive to make yourself. This simple project takes as little as 20-30 minutes.

1. Start by measuring your pillow form from seam to seam. My pillow was 20″ square, so my finished cover size will be 19″ square to keep the pillow looking plump. Since I’m a visual person, I like to make notes and a sketch of the project before I begin. This helps me determine my measurements and avoid mistakes.

2. Determine the cut size for your fabric. You want to cut one long piece that is 1x the size of the pillow by 2x the width of your pillow plus 4″ (for the overlap on the back where you will stuff the pillow). Since I want a finished pillow size of 19″ square with 1/2″ seams, my cut size will be 20″x44″. (This works out well, as most fabrics come in 44″ widths.)

3. Measure and cut your fabric. I used pinking shears to keep the edges from fraying.

4. On the two short sides of your fabric, fold the seam width (1/2″) over the wrong side of the fabric and iron or pin in place. Stitch the folded fabric from end to end.

6. Fold the long sides of the fabric with the wrong side facing out so that the two sides you just stitched overlap by 2″. The two flaps should both be the same width so that your overlap is centered in the back of the pillow. Check the overall size of your pillow: the measurement from the folded edges should measure your final size (19″ for my pillow), and the measurement from the raw edges should measure your final size plus two seams (20″ for my pillow).

7. Pin the raw edges in place, and stitch across both sides.

8. Remove the pins and turn your pillow cover right side out. Stuff in your pillow form, and you’re done!